About Me

I was called to the Bar in 1989 and have been practising in Manchester ever since. I was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2012. I specialise in clinical negligence and personal injury work and am Head of Chambers at Kings Chambers. My work is for claimants and defendants, but mostly for claimants in clinical negligence cases, covering all areas including nursing, GPs, A&E, obstetrics, general surgery, oncology and psychiatry. My most high profile case was Rabone-v-Pennine [2012] UKSC 2. My areas of practice encompass inquests and inquiries as well as litigation.

I have lectured widely on issues ranging from human rights act claims, cosmetic surgery, delay in diagnosing cancer and quantum in serious injury claims, including at the annual AvMA and APIL clinical negligence conferences. My articles have appeared in the Journal of Personal Injury Law, the Solicitors Journal, and other publications. For several years I acted as a Legal Assessor to the General Medical Council's Fitness to Practice Panels. I became a Recorder in 2010 and I sit as a panel chair for the Bar Adjudication and Tribunal Service.

Chambers UK Guide to the Bar 2017:

Band 1 for Clinical Negligence

Nigel Poole QCWidely regarded as a hugely important clinical negligence expert with tremendous client handling and advocacy skills. Attracts instructions in major cases that test novel points of law or are medically and factually complex. Earns further praise for his academic contributions to the field.Strengths: "He's one of the best silks in clinical negligence nationally. He has excellent client care skills and goes above and beyond to fight issues." "He is extremely down-to-earth with no airs and graces and is very bright. He manages cases sensitively but firmly, which is a real gift, and is very quick with returning papers."

Band 2 for Personal Injury

Nigel Poole QCWidely admired silk who represents both claimants and defendants. He specialises in claims concerning catastrophic brain and head injuries, most often those associated with RTAs, however he also has expert knowledge of cases concerning the military. His trial work includes significant appellate experience, including appearances in both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.Strengths: "He is incredibly astute, and also quite ingenious; he's always thinking about different angles." "He's extremely focused and incredibly collaborative, with excellent client-care skills." Recent work: Appeared in the Court of Appeal in Billet v MOD, concerning the assessment of damages for loss of earning capacity and the definition of disability.

Since 2012 I have been a regional co-ordinator for the Bar Council's Schools Mock Trial competition, run by the Citizenship Foundation. I have also assisted in supporting the Bar Placement Week which supports high achieving students from less affluent backgrounds gain work experience at the Bar.

This blog began in June 2012 and this site has now had over 195,000 visits. I have used it to publish a series of posts on the difficult legal issues concerning delay in diagnosis of cancer litigation, as well as occasional pieces on clinical negligence matters and litigation in general.

From 2014-16 I used the blog to try to raise awareness of the deficiencies of the Medical Innovation Bill aka the Saatchi Bill. Activity generated through the blog has resulted in two long articles in the Journal of Personal Injury Law, a letter published in The Times, and a letter, along with others, in the British Medical Journal and an invitation to the House of Commons to discuss the subsequent Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill with Chris Heaton-Harris MP. Extracts from the blog have been quoted (but not accredited!) in the House of Lords. I debated the Bill with Nick Ross, Sir Michael Rawlins and Daniel Greenberg at King's College London on 4 March 2015.

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This Blog

Learned Friend is the blog of Nigel Poole QC. Nigel practises at Kings Chambers with offices in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. He specialises in clinical negligence and personal injury law. These posts are intended to be of general interest and no-one should rely on them as definitive statements of the law. They are no substitute for full advice in any particular case. I would welcome comments on the posts and suggestions for future topics.
Visit my Kings Chambers website for further details: www.kingschambers.com.
Follow me on twitter @NigelPooleQC
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